1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for generating a slide show image from images that are changed serially in the slide show image and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prints generated from conventional silver-salt photographic films have been used in various manners. For example, such prints and films are used for checking how images look, for communicating with friends by showing the prints, for sending additional prints to friends, for display of enlargements thereof, and for generating photo albums. However, prints generated from silver-salt photographic films only accumulate if the prints are not set in order. Therefore, using the prints and the films, such as finding a desired one of the prints and generating an additional print, becomes difficult. Especially, in the case where the number of prints becomes large, the prints tend to be left without consideration of photography order, which makes setting the prints in order more difficult.
Prints can be used easily if frequently arranged in order. However, classification of prints according to time and date of photography or theme is troublesome. Even if prints are set in order in the form of a photo album, no copy of the photo album is usually made. Therefore, enjoying photographs therein is difficult for a large number of people or for a person living in a remote place.
If classification of prints is neglected, not only prints but also negative films accumulate. Negative films are in most cases left as they are or stored in bags or boxes without classification thereof. If a user as a photographer ages and the number of family members increases, the number of prints and negative films also increases more and more. Therefore, a large amount of prints and negative films are neglected if no classification is carried out thereon. Prints and negative films are seldom discarded since no additional prints can be made if they are discarded. Consequently, many households are troubled by how to classify and store such prints and films.
Meanwhile, a photograph service system has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 10(1998)-150538 or 10(1998)-150541, for example. In such a system, images recorded on a negative film or prints are read by a reading apparatus such as a scanner for obtaining image data sets. The image data sets are stored in a recording medium such as a CD-R and reproduced by a reproduction apparatus such as a personal computer for appreciation thereof. Furthermore, the image data sets are printed at the request of a user. In addition, a network photograph service system including an image storage system has also been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-154218, for example. In the network photograph service system, image data sets are sent to and stored in an image storage server via a network such as the Internet, and various kinds of processing regarding the image data sets, such as viewing the image data sets and placing a printing order, can be carried out with use of a terminal remote from the image storage server.
However, in the image storage system described above, images are read from a negative film at the same time as the images are printed after development of the film. Therefore, image data sets are stored collectively for each roll of film. Consequently, relating a user who requested storage of the image data sets to the film roll is a troublesome task. In addition, images are only read from a negative film and stored thereafter. Therefore, a large amount of image data sets are simply stored without being set in order if images are read from prints or negative films neglected in a household. In this case, a user who accesses the image storage server needs to set the image data sets in order, which is as troublesome as in the case of classification of the prints and the negative films. Therefore, such a system is not convenient.
For this reason, a so-called “photo mining” service system has been proposed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030151767. In this system, image data sets are obtained from recording media such as prints and negative films, and related to recording media information representing the recording media from which the image data sets have been obtained. The image data sets related to the recording media information are then stored for each user, based on user information. In this system, if a user only requests image readout from a DPE store although a large amount of prints and negative films neglected in his/her household have not been set in order, the user can view image data sets obtained through the image reading in a state wherein the image data sets are classified according to the recording media information.
By using the system described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030151767, image data obtained by readout can be provided to a user by being recorded in a recording medium such as a DVD-R. At this time, image data in the form of a slide show can be generated from the image data obtained by reading, and can be recorded in the recording medium together with the original image data. In this manner, the user can enjoy the slide show by using his/her DVD player and can appreciate the image data by using his/her terminal such as a personal computer.
Since the recording medium provided to the user in the photo mining service has a large amount of image data, the data may include images that the user is not willing to view or show to others. In addition, the data may include images representing people in too small sizes. Therefore, the slide show may include the images that are not preferred by the user, which may spoil fun of the slide show. Furthermore, since the slide show generated in this manner is represented as a set of data, the user cannot edit the data even if the user wishes to change reproduction order in the slide show.
In addition, although the image data of the slide show include background music played in reproduction of the slide show, the slide show includes only predetermined music. For this reason is desired inclusion of background music in accordance with the content of the slide show or the preferences of the user.